A doctor on Steve Irwin's death

Here's another take on the medical side of Steve Irwin's death.

Dr. Auerbach's conclusion: if he hadn't pulled out the barb, he might well have lived- but without knowing the cause of death, we can't know for sure.

His tentative hypothesis: death was probably caused by the leakage of blood from the heart into the pericardium, which the stinger probably kept under control until it was pulled out. Once the pericardium- which does not stretch easily- was filled, the resulting pressure on the heart would have quickly made it impossible for it to beat.